Charlene Hughes was a college student whom Phoebe met in the public library days before her finals. The two were in the same metaphysics class at the local college, taught by Charlene's father. She was killed by a Libris before she could prove the existence of demons.
History[]
Early Life[]
Charlene started having an interest in researching demons since 1995, and was writing a thesis to prove that they actually existed. She and her father had several disputes about the subject, but Charlene continued to push her thesis.
While studying at a library, she met and befriended Phoebe. After Phoebe left, Charlene went to find more books. She came across the Encyclopedia of Demons. When she took it, a Libris demon seized her and beheaded her in the basement.
Post-mortem[]
After her death, her spirit remained in the physical realm and only Phoebe was able to see her. Though she did not remember the events that happened just before she was killed, Phoebe eventually revealed the truth. Charlene refused to believe Phoebe at first and ran home. There, she saw her family mourning her, so she returned to the Charmed Ones to help them figure out how and where she died. Though she could not remember much, her collective memories were helpful enough to lure out the Libris demon. Phoebe was pulled into the basement with him, and Charlene followed them. Using her abilities as a spirit, she helped hold off the Libris until Prue astral projected into the basement and vanquished him with a spell.
Since the Charmed Ones had gotten justice for her, Charlene should have been able to move on. However, she didn't, much to her frustration. Prue Halliwell figured out that she had to claim justice for another girl named Tyra Wilson, who was murdered by a man named Gibbs. Using her ghostly powers, she convinced Gibbs that she was Tyra coming back to haunt him and scared him into confessing. When he was arrested, Charlene witnessed Tyra's father finding peace, and was happy to know that while she could not please her own father, at least she was able to help someone else's. Charlene was finally able to move on after this.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Active Powers
- Corporealization: The ability to make oneself solid and visible. Charlene was only able to make herself able to move objects.
- Voice Echo: The ability to project one's voice from another location. Charlene was able to make the living hear her voice.
- Floating: The ability to hover in midair. She started floating when she felt frustration.
- Other Powers
- Invisibility: The ability to be unseen by the naked eye. As a spirit, Charlene was naturally invisible to humans and some demons.
- Intangibility: The ability to walk through solid objects without hinder. As a spirit, Charlene was naturally intangible.
Notes and Trivia[]
- Rebekah Carlton who portrayed the Demonic Sorceress Kali is sometimes credited as "Rebecca Cross", the same name of the actress who portrayed Charlene.
- Carlton also portrayed waitress in "Primrose Empath".
- In "Run, Piper, Run", Billie says she has read in the Book of Shadows on something about Charlene and how she scared Gibbs to gain the truth.
Appearances[]
Charlene Hughes appeared in a total of 1 episode in the series throughout the course of the series.
| Charmed, Season 2 | |||||
| #01 | "Witch Trial" | #09 | "Ms. Hellfire" | #17 | "How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans" |
| #02 | "Morality Bites" | #10 | "Heartbreak City" | #18 | "Chick Flick" |
| #03 | "The Painted World" | #11 | "Reckless Abandon" | #19 | "Ex Libris" |
| #04 | "The Devil's Music" | #12 | "Awakened" | #20 | "Astral Monkey" |
| #05 | "She's a Man, Baby, a Man!" | #13 | "Animal Pragmatism" | #21 | "Apocalypse, Not" |
| #06 | "That Old Black Magic" | #14 | "Pardon My Past" | #22 | "Be Careful What You Witch For" |
| #07 | "They're Everywhere" | #15 | "Give Me a Sign" | ||
| #08 | "P3 H2O" | #16 | "Murphy's Luck" | ||